Lush Madness!

I've been wanting to try Lush for a really long time. There's something really excited about all-natural products when it comes to skincare - I feel much better about the glop that's going on my face when I can look at the back of the container and see what's actually in it. And Lush has a really great vibe - they're all anti-animal testing and their new campaign for Valentine's Day was all about love and supporting the LGBT community, which is a cause close to my heart. 

I also had a really great in-store experience. My local mall is known for having crap customer service, so I did a lot of research about the products before going in to the store because I didn't expect the girls to really pay attention to me or know anything about the products. BOY WAS I SURPRISED to the point where I wrote Lush an email, which I will excerpt for you here: 

" I usually don't like shopping in stores because the stores are crowded, I don't get enough attention when I have a question, and most of the time the employees don't really know what they're doing. But the girls in the store were incredible. In particular, an employee there named Stephanie was a big help. She saw me staring confused at some products and offered some great advice, showed me how to use everything, and introduced me to new products I wouldn't normally try. All the girls took interest in my story and my blog and were ready and willing to help with expert product knowledge. I went home with a mountain of Lush products to try and review on my blog, and I've never been so excited. As a lifelong psoriasis sufferer, it's exciting to feel like I possibly have miracle products in my hands now. I just want to let you know that you have some great girls there. I've worked retail, I know how hard it can be, and it's rare to get customer service like that"

And an even bigger surprise, THEY WROTE BACK: 

"Thank you for taking the time to contact LUSH! You and I would make the best shopping buddies. I also go online first, get an idea of what I want and then hit the stores. I hate crowds! I'm so happy to hear that you had a fantastic experience at LUSH. I often sit at my desk and day dream about all the action that goes down at the stores. So, hearing about great experiences really makes my day! I think it's the people who used to work in retail that's hard to impress. I'm very happy that LUSH met your standards of good customer service! I will forward your feedback to our friends at the mall location so, Stephanie and the rest of the team will get all the kudos that they deserve. Your blog looks great! I tried to start one years ago but didn't keep up with it. I really admire your dedication. If there's anything else that I can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask."

No, guys, this is for real. An actual response from an actual person. I'm really amazed. 

I ended up with a little bit of everything.

I don't usually do face masks but Stephanie recommended Mask of Magnaminty to help with my blackheads. I've used it once and it really does work - I saw a significant change in the softness of my skin and it did get rid of some of the blackheads. Next time I think I'm going to try it just on my nose - way better than any of those pore strips! Volcano is a foot mask, which is kind of weird because you have to wrap your feet in plastic wrap for ten minutes while it works it's magic, but it's great for winter feet that are trapped in tights and closed toed shoes!

Curly Wurly is a shampoo for frizzy curly hair (read: poofball hair like mine) and smells AMAZING. It's made with coconut and I mean it - real bits of coconut in there. So cool. And my hair is super soft right now (de-poofing is gonna take years, so game on,  Curly Wurly), so I'm loving it.

I love me  a scrub so I actually picked up two - both Ocean Salt and the Sugar Scrub. I've only used the Ocean Salt so far but it's really great. I'm super smooth and it's a way less expensive alternative to my favourite Fresh sugar scrub, and works just as well. The great thing about Ocean Salt is that it's also a facial scrub, so it's like getting two exfoliants for the price of one. Plus my boyfriend says I taste salty. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but it's better than tasting not good? Right? Right.

Ultrabland is a really thick, creamy cleanser for makeup and dirt removal. When I was in the store, Stephanie rubbed it on my hand and you can really feel the way it pulls everything out of your skin. It's a bit strange at first since I'm used to a really light cleanser, but there was nothing leftover on my face after I used it.

I am always looking for badass moisturizers for my dry skin and Skin Drink has been working really well so far. It smells a bit strange (it's made with sesame oil) and it's kind of a weird brown goop, but it hydrates for the whole day. I'm never left wanting and my skin feels super soft. I'm all about soft, hydrated skin, especially since it's been such a harsh winter.

Stephanie also recommended using both Dreamwash and Dream Cream for my dry, itchy skin. So far they've been working great - Dreamwash smells amazing and is nice and creamy, and Dream Cream is very soothing and I've been lathering it on like a maniac every time my skin gets itchy. I'd heard a lot about Dream Cream (it's their best seller) so I was eager to try it, and so far it's been going very well.

Overall I'm really really pleased with my Lush products and I'm really excited to go into the store and try more, especially after such a great experience. Plus it's nice that I can feel really good about what ingredients I'm putting on my body. Lush products are relatively inexpensive (this huge haul was just over $100) and I really am loving their brand as a whole. Can't wait to try more!